Wentworth Miller Responded to a Fat-Shaming Meme in the Most Powerful Way

Wentworth Miller is not here for fat-shamers and Internet trolls, and he made that clear on social media last night. The smoldering actor came across a meme circulating the Web that compared a trimmer photo of himself with a 2010 pic showing weight gain. The mean-spirited caption read, “When you break out of prison and find out about McDonald’s monopoly” (referring to Miller’s starring role on Prison Break). Miller specifically found the meme on The LAD Bible, which racked up 101,000 Facebook reactions and 12,000+ shares on the post. Instead of ignoring it–like most celebrities do when it comes to this drivel–The Flash star faced the cyber-shade head on. And he got candid.

Very candid. In a lengthy Facebook response, Miller confessed the heavyset photo was snapped six years ago–a time when he was battling depression. And suicidal thoughts.

“In 2010, semi-retired from acting, I was keeping a low-profile for a number of reasons,” he wrote. “First and foremost, I was suicidal. This is a subject I’ve since written about, spoken about, shared about.”

Miller said he used eating as a coping mechanism during those years. “In 2010, at the lowest point in my adult life, I was looking everywhere for relief/comfort/distraction,” he said. “And I turned to food. It could have been anything. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex. But eating became the one thing I could look forward to. Count on to get me through. There were stretches when the highlight of my week was a favorite meal and a new episode of TOP CHEF. Sometimes that was enough. Had to be. And I put on weight. Big f–king deal.”

Paparazzi snapped the red shirt photo when Miller was on a hike with a friend in Los Angeles. It soon swept the tabloids with snarky headlines like “Hunk To Chunk” and “Fit To Flab.” It’s mind-boggling to think publications still do sh-t like this today.

Even still, Miller wrote he is glad the photo exists today. “Now, when I see that image of me in my red t-shirt, a rare smile on my face, I am reminded of my struggle,” he penned. “My endurance and my perseverance in the face of all kinds of demons. Some within. Some without.”

He continued, “…the meaning I assign to this/my image is Strength. Healing. Forgiveness.” What a king.

The LAD Bible took the image down and issued an apology to Miller, as it rightfully should’ve. We give major props to Miller for speaking so openly about his struggles. Instead of hiding–the easy way out–he faced this demon head on…and probably saved many lives in the process.